How long does it take

to do a good

Building Survey?

Independent Surveyors

We are independent surveyors, which means we are not linked to or owned by an estate agent or lending institute, and as a result we are only working with your best interests in mind.  Since we are solely surveyors, we can keep our overheads down and ultimately our prices as well.

We offer quotes on the surveys and we can usually save you money on the cost of the survey.  We do them quickly and we feel the quality of our surveys are one of the best on the market.  We offer a reasoned view, based upon our knowledge and experience, we don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.  Equally if we think the property has problems we say so in a clear, jargon-free manner.  We also use sketches, photographs and digital images to clarify what we are saying.

Having a survey carried out on the property that you intend to buy will give you the extra peace of mind that you are buying the right one.

Please call us on free phone 0800 298 5424 to book a survey for advice.

How long does it take to do a good Building Survey?

We would expect Surveyors to take as long as necessary.  From our personal experience as Chartered Surveyors, Surveys are taking everything from a few hours to all day and we have even returned back to survey, where we are not a 100% happy.

Should I be concerned if the Surveyor seems to carry out the work very quickly?

Unfortunately there isn’t a straightforward answer to this as it depends upon the knowledge and experience of the surveyor who could be very experienced in that type of building and could have carried out surveys in the area before, which ironically can lead to over confidence on the Surveyor’s part.  One thing you can look out for is that there are different grades of Surveyors which is the membership grade, which is the basic grade of Surveyors.  However, experienced Surveyors will normally be Fellows of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, which means that they have good levels of experience.

What’s the best way to find out if the Surveyor has the right qualification and experience?

A very good way, is to ask for an example survey that the Surveyor has prepared on the type of property that you wish them to survey.  A Surveyor with experience and knowledge of your type of property (or one who says they have) will be able to give an example survey, if not several example surveys.

How should I compare Building Surveys?

We would suggest that you have a general look through the report; a well presented report tends to be a well prepared report and a well thought through report.  You need to choose a section of the report, for example – roofs – and just see how readable the section is. Are there photos and sketches explaining the problem?
	Sketch of pitched cut roof construction
Just as importantly, are there are also solutions offered and an indication of cost. Pick a page at random, perhaps page 60 and compare those pages on each example survey that you have got.  Page 60 is a good page, as often Surveyors will have flipped into Surveyors speak by this time in the report.  So just ensure that the report is just as readable part the way through as it is on the first page.  We particularly like where definitions are added into reports, as sometimes the technical description is the best way to describe an issue.
	Sketch of a Kingpost roof

Free phone 0800 298 5424

Look at the Executive Summary

2. Has the Executive Report got substance?

3. Does it give you points to identify and actions required to make you think about your proposed purchase and does it indicate the sort of costs that are liable to come about to resolve the problem?

Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

2. Properties are very individual things and you need to be negotiating specifically on the items that have been highlighted in your survey.  Don’t get put off track by the Estate Agents saying these problems are always in this type of your property, it is your particular property that you are concerned about.

3. Take into account that the Estate Agent may be a nice person but they do need to sell the property to make their living.  Take into account that the vendor/seller may be a nice person, but they do need to sell the property to move on.

The best Building Surveyor is also someone that doesn’t just talk about it, but also has done it

Experience can speak volumes and if you can establish the Surveyor has had experience at not only surveying that type of property, but also has owned one themselves or worked up on it, then you have the ideal scenario.

Our unique sketches help you understand the survey

If the report, along with our photos, does not explain the problem or characteristics of a property enough then we also have a vast range of sketches, as per the example above, that we have had commissioned exclusively for us that we can use in our reports.

What do the ovals or circles in our building surveys mean?

Within our reports, we utilise a system of ovals and circles to highlight problem areas or characteristics within a property to better explain the issues.  If this does not explain the issue completely then we can also use one of our sketches that have been commissioned exclusively for us for use in the reports.

Crack in brick wall	Cracks in brickwork

We can email you examples of our building surveys

We are more than happy to email you several examples of our tailor made reports that we have carried out on similar properties, although we do appreciate that all properties are unique.

We really believe that you should see what you are getting in the form of an example Survey.  What is more is that we are so confident with our higher than average standards that we believe that there is no other comparable survey available in the UK property and surveying market.

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